Sony Ericsson posts €247 million loss
Xperia Play fails to revive its fortunes.
Sony Ericsson has posted a painful €247 million pre-tax loss for the fourth quarter of 2011.
According to ME, Sony's mobile phone wing - which it now owns outright - shipped nine million phones in the fourth quarter, down 20 per cent on last year.
Duly, it's dropped from the fourth largest OEM (original equipment manufacturer) in the world to ninth position.
The division had pinned its hopes on the Xperia brand, which includes the PlayStation-enabled Xperia Play, but it seems it's losing touch with Android pace-setters like Samsung's Galaxy and HTC's Desire.
"Our fourth quarter results reflected intense competition, unfavorable macroeconomic conditions and the effects of a natural disaster in Thailand this quarter," commented Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg.
It's been a rough few months for Sony's book-keepers. Its PlayStation business recently posted a loss of $449 million for the last fiscal quarter.